Kissed By An Angel
by twingamerchickz
Summary: He died in a car crash meant to kill her. Now, without Riku, Kairi's lost faith in the angels she once believed in. Now, there is a killer on the loose and invisible forces at work she can't see! Discontinued. Adopt it?
1. Chapter 1

This series is based off the book Kissed by an Angel and the kingdom hearts series. I don't own either. I'm only going to say this once.

"I never knew how romantic a backseat could be," Kairi had said, resting against it, smiling at Riku. Then she looked past him at the pile of junk on the floor. "Maybe you should pull your tie out of that old Burger King cup."  
Riku reached down and grimaced. He tossed the dripping thing into the front of the car, and then sat back next to Kairi.  
"Ow!" The smell of crushed flowers filled the air in the car.  
Kairi Laughed out loud.  
"What's so funny?" Riku asked, pulling the smashed roses from behind him, but he was laughing, too.  
"What if someone had come along and seen your father's clergy sticker on your bumper?"  
Riku tossed the flowers into the front seat and pulled her toward him again. He traced the silk strap of her dress, and then tenderly kissed her shoulder. "I'd have told them I was with an angel."  
"Oh, what a line!"  
"Kairi, I love you," Riku said, his face suddenly serious.  
She stared back at him, and then bit her lip.  
"This isn't some kind of game for me. I love you, Kairi Earnheart, and one day you're going to believe me."  
She put her arms around him and held him tightly. "Love you, Riku Smith," she whispered into his neck. Kairi did believe him, and she trusted him as she trusted no one else. One day she'd have the nerve to say it, all of the words out loud. I love you, Riku. She'd shout it out the windows. She'd string a banner straight across the school pool.  
After a few minutes, they'd straighten themselves up, looking presentable. Both started to laugh as Kairi tried to cure her hair into what she wanted it to do- a futile effort. Then he started the car, urging it over the ruts and stones on the narrow road.  
"Last glimpse of the lake." He started driving down the winding dirt and rock road that was barely used anymore. 45 mph wasn't a dangerous speed. Actually, it was far from it, so why was Riku worried?  
"Riku, we aren't in hurry. We should slow down a little. We are in 20 zone." Kairi said, clearly not as worried as Riku. Riku's brow furred, stepping on the brake didn't seem to affect the speed of the car. "Riku, it's not funny anymore, slow down. I'm full."  
"You don't want to go out to dinner anymore?"  
"I'm full of happiness. "She looked to the road for a moment "Oh my god! Riku! Slow down!" Kairi pointed ahead of them, her eyes caught another's; a deer's to be exact. Riku's foot jammed on the brakes and nothing came of it.  
"Kairi I can't, the-" Kairi screamed as they swerved out of the way of the deer and into a nearby tree.

A gunshot was fired through the air, and Kairi flinched. She hated gunshots, but she also hated pools.

"So which one is Riku?" Both Namine and Selphie rolled their eyes.  
"You don't see him?" Selphie asked as if she was crazy.  
"No, if you ask me; they look like a bunch of aliens with their shaved chests, arms and legs, wearing those ugly blue hair caps. They all look the same." They both rolled their eyes, together again.  
"Okay, look at the middle lane, you see how he's swimming? That's Riku Smith, he's our flyer." Okay, Kairi was with them, she could see why he was called a flyer. He swam with such grace and looked like he was flying, doing the butterfly stroke. When pictures of the swim team were posted, the person in charge obviously knew what they were doing when they took the photo of him swimming like this. That was when Selphie and Namine had decided that Riku was taking an interest in her. All that it took to convince Namine was a few hall collisions, two in one week. Of course Kairi'd thought it was her fault, her head was always up in the clouds, with the angels. But, Namine and Selphie said that HE ran into HER, and he wasn't at all clumsy. Kairi was placing her bets that he was graceful in the water and in the water only. They'd said he was anything but clumsy though. Kairi had tried to convince Namine, who wrote romance novels that her head was in the clouds.  
When Kairi had come to Radiant Garden, she'd had some cheerleader point him out to her while guiding her around the building. She could recall the fair-haired cheerleader pointing at everything.  
"I know where you come from, you guys fantasize about football players, but here we have a great swim team!" She didn't bother to remember the face, seeing as how she didn't care.  
"I'd prefer a guy with a brain. Someone who isn't brainless for sports." She'd said after the cheerleader pointed him out. She laughed some annoying high-pitched laugh, and spoke again.  
"Oh, but he does have a brain!" Kairi didn't bother to say more, knowing she'd get an earful from the girl.  
Remembering the girl was a headache.  
"Hey, HEY! Pay attention, he's in the lead." Selphie had pointed. She sighed.  
"I'm not interested. He probably doesn't like me." They both sighed, in synch.  
"With all the angels you have, you'd think you'd have an angel of love." Namine sighed dreamily as Selphie frowned.  
"I do." Both raised an eyebrow as Kairi said it.  
"Oh? You do? I didn't think you did. She's obviously doing a horrendous job." Namine wiggled her eyebrows at her and Selphie smiled. "He's totally into you." Back when she came to this school, Selphie had been the only one she'd known. Looking back at it now, talking about angels was how she met Namine.

"Keep your head down here and away from the angels! At least for your first day here." Selphie said.  
"The angels have nothing to do with me and spacing out. And besides, I know the protocol here. There's nothing to worry or fret about." Over at the next table, Namine had been eavesdropping.  
"Did I hear that right? You can talk to angels?" And for the next month, she'd been coming to Kairi, asking questions about angels and they soon became friends. A tap on her shoulder brought her back to the swim meet.  
"Come on, see the one who is furthest ahead?" Namine tried to point out Riku again but it was no use.  
"No, I don't." Both frowned and she sighed. Kairi loved her friends; it wasn't like she hated them. No she loved them, even if they could be a little over the top.  
Selphie Farland was taller than her, was standing at 5'5. Her brown hair was quite cute and attractive, curling out on both sides. Her eyes were a common blue and her skin was fairly tanned. She was slim and had a fine enough personality. She was really outgoing and always had gotten the things she wanted, most of the things being boys. She was very out-going and a handful.  
Namine Van Dar, on the other hand, was 5'3, and inch taller than herself and a beautiful blonde. Her wisps of blonde hair cascaded a little past her shoulder, with a few soft curls in her side bangs. Her eyes were a startling blue like Kairi's own. Her complexion was very pale, but that was only because she didn't spend much time outside. No, she would more likely be seen by her laptop or by a sketchpad. She was always drawing or writing her harlequin novels. Namine also wrote and drew for a local newspaper in which she was hoping to receive a good career as a journalist and a novelist. Like Selphie, she was outgoing, but she'd rather be writing than drawing attention from boys.  
"I still think he's totally into you." Selphie said, watching how the race was going. Not a chance, thought Kairi.  
"I prefer a guy with a brain." Namine rolled her eyes and frowned. "What?" Namine was going to say something but Selphie cut her off.  
"Oh, but he does have a brain! Top of the class!" Kairi gave her a pointed look. "Okay, well… Or close to it!" Kairi just didn't care. Although, when the captain of the team, announced this meet, he looked directly at her and seemed to speak to HER and HER only. She felt compelled to come today. "And he as muscle! Every inch of him hard with muscle!" Namine sighed. " 'His body, all muscles glistening like hard rock, molded to the shape of an artist, his harlequin lover.' " Namine sighed dreamily.  
"How come you all ways use h words?" Namine grinned at her and Selphie smirked.  
"When you use h words, the alliteration sounds like heavy breathing. For example, 'She looked at his body, hungry, heated, heady'-" Kairi cut her off, she didn't want to hear this crap.  
"Uh, gross Namine."  
"I wonder what Axel would like in one of the mandatory Speedos that the team has to wear?" Kairi gave a disgusted look to Selphie; she wasn't interested in Axel LaVaine, but for the past few months, Selphie had been in hot pursuit of him. Selphie's face flushed a tad and she looked down smiling. Creepy.

"Why do they yell 'Waller' every time they bounce off the wall?" Kairi asked, clearly confused.  
"It's Riku's nickname. Every time he starts a new lap and bounce off the wall, they yell it." Namine said, her eyes following Riku. Selphie was ignoring Namine for the moment and glaring to their right. Some brunette was latched onto Axel LaVaine, like arm candy.  
"Who's THAT?" Selphie made a face as she glared next to them.  
"Her name's Pastry." Namine gave her a look and Selphie rolled her eyes.  
"No, really. What's her name?" Asked Selphie again.  
"That's her name! Pastry Thomas. She's a senior in my music class. Oh, look. They're coming over here." Kairi noted that Pastry wasn't the best name to call your child. As Axel and his arm candy walked over here, Selphie drank up his appearance. He was apparently perfect in her eyes; he green eyes that stood out, flaming red hair that was a long mane, a very tan complexion and was insanely tall. But, it wasn't his height or looks that made him stand out, no, it was his personality. His self-confidence was up through the roof, but he didn't have a big ego.  
Pastry wedged her way to them, ignoring Selphie and barely giving Namine a glance. She smiled at Kairi.  
"Hi Kairi! I was just telling Axel how like, AWESOME you are at playing the piano! I cant BELIEVE he's never heard you play! In April, we can get together more! And then I can, like, give you rides to school! Won't that be so totally awesome?" She smiled at Kairi.  
"Yeah, that sounds fun, right Namine? We can all have a sleepover and talk about cute boys!" Selphie said, drinking in the sight of Axel. Axel barely contained his smirk. Pastry glared at her and tugged on Axel's arm.  
"Let's go Axel. It's, like, getting too crowded." And so, they walked back to their spot on the bleachers.  
Soon the race ended and Kairi looked back at the swimmers. Three of them were staring back at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here is the second chapter! We hope you're happy! :)

Riku Felt like a fool, peeking through the kitchen window into the dining room of the alumni club, looking at all the trays of food. He didn't even know what half of these weird French foods were! As long as they stayed on the up side of his tray, he wouldn't have to worry about what food he was serving. Riku turned to his best friend, Leon, who'd volunteered to go with him.

"This is good money, even if it sucks." Riku said, looking at Leon over his shoulder. Leon just kind of shrugged and turned the other way. Riku picked up an empty tray and studied his reflection in it. "I feel like a fool." Riku heard Leon snort from behind him.

"You look like a fool." Now, it was Riku's turn to snort.

"You're one to talk." Riku said to Leon. Looking at him, he looked worse than Riku. His rental suit was missing a button, he was wearing his sneakers (whose laces didn't even match) and his hair wasn't combed. Leon scoffed at him.

"You know, this suit was expensive to rent! We'd better make some money off of this. Or are you here for a different reason?" Leon said, making Riku flush. Suddenly, Leon grabbed a mop off of the floor and put it over his head. "Oh, Riku," He said in a high pitched voice. "What a coincidence!" He fluttered his eyelashes at him. Riku only gave a mildly disturbed look. "Oh Riku! I just caught my mother's bouquet! Let's run off and get married!" Riku glared at him and mumbled; "I don't want to marry her. I just want her to know that I exist." He shrugged it off, as if this crush would just disappear over night.

Right then, monsieur Desperaux walked in.

"Was it fate that was smiling down upon us to have brought you two _lovely _waiters to wait tables for us?" Was that sarcasm he sensed in the man's speech?

Later that night, Riku had already spilled caviar into a woman's lap, like it had a mind of it own. The whole night, Riku had been looking for Kairi, sneaking glances when he could. If he found her, what would he say? _Would you like a crabbe la balle_? That would impress her. NOT!

Riku thought of when he first saw her.

He walked the same halls as her, and noticed her on her first day. The way she walked… She seemed free of things, like she'd not a problem in the world. She never noticed him.

Now back to the present, Kairi seemed to have come out of hiding. Now that he could see her, she was wearing this fluffy pink dress with sparkles all over it. Leon just so happened to have passed by him, and they clashed elbows, causing his tray's contents to jiggle and shake. "That's some dress, Riku. Don't you like it?" Leon wriggled his eyebrows provocatively at him.

"Not really. But she'll take it off eventually." Riku said, lying through his teeth. Kairi was attractive in anything she wore. Leon grinned at him and walked away. He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"You're pretty cocky Riku." Leon smirked over his shoulder and started walking away again.

"That's not what I meant!" Riku yelled, his shout in vain as Leon kept walking away.

"Swimmer, swimmer!" Riku looked over his other shoulder to see Zexion Torres, Axel LaVaine's best friend standing in the corner, half drunk. "Is this what you do in between laps? Wait tables for the rich?" Riku frowned at him. He needed this money to fly. "It is, isn't it? I could buy them. All you have to do is get more Champaign for me." Zexion's mouth curled into a half smile.

"No. I can't do that. I don't support underage drinking." Riku said, frowning once more.

"I'll buy you out kid," Zexion took a second to focus his vision on Riku again. "Reno does it. He'll buy out anybody." _So that's where Axel learned it from, _Riku thought to himself. "Loooook. We can hurt or help each other. Your choice." Zexion was a short senior, shorter than Riku and good in build. He wasn't as bulky as Riku, but he still had muscles and was slightly intimidating. Either way, Riku ignored him.

Walking on, Riku tripped on accident and vegetables rained down on the whole party. At that moment, Kairi looked at him in shock. Now, for sure, she knew that he existed. She'd just never go out with him. His cheeks burned a bit before the monsieur called him to the kitchen.

"Maybe you were right. On land he's a klutz, and in water, he's graceful." Selphie said, staring after Riku, who'd just walked away.

"Maybe it's just how he earns his money." Selphie frowned at Kairi.

"By throwing broccoli at the bride? I don't think so… Unless he's hard up!"

"For cash or Kairi?" Namine joked. Selphie's eyes lit up and she grinned again.

"I bet his eyes were big when he saw what you were wearing!" Selphie exclaimed, expressing this with her hands. Kairi frowned again as Namine started humming the _Gone with the Wind _theme. Kairi rolled her eyes. She knew that she looked like a red haired version of Scarlette O'Hara dropped in a bucket of glitter.

"I wonder what Axel's eyes looked like, when he saw what you _weren't _wearing." Kairi said in all seriousness.

"Oh, I HOPE so!" She squealed. Just then, Axel walked up to them and offered his arm to Kairi instead of Selphie. Kairi accepted his arm and walked to the dining tables.

Axel pulled out a chair for her, which she gladly accepted and thanked him. Suddenly, he leaned in closely to her neck and whispered "My pleasure, ma'am." Kairi could feel his hot breath against her skin, tickling it ever so slightly and sending shivers down her spine. Kairi sat down and ignored his last act. She knew he was trying to be playful, but she preferred the other, colder Axel. She understood his first cold response, she really did. It must've been a shock as much as it was for Tidus and herself. They moved in as prep for the marriage.

Thinking about it now, Aerith and Reno's affair had begun 5 years earlier.

Kairi's father had died when she was young, when her mother was pregnant with Tidus. Reno was a president of a collage and her mother was his wife's hairdresser. Before Reno, her mother went through a series of boyfriends. It had come as a shock to Kairi, that her mother looked so happy with Reno. Kairi prayed, to the angel of love. Every night, she prayed this would work out.

"Uh, Kairi, your, uh… sparkles are dipping into the soup." Kairi snapped out of her thoughts and pulled her arm away from all the food on the table. Axel grinned from beside her. "That dress is going to get you into a lot of trouble," Axel stated as Kairi gave him a questioning glance. "It nearly blinded Riku Smith." Axel chuckled slightly, though his eyes weren't showing that he was as happy as he sounded. "I hope Riku's not waiting on us." He joked. _I hope so too._ Kairi thought.

Shortly after the veggie shower, Riku was told he could leave and should, immediately. Riku was Leon's ride home, so he poked around the kitchen some. The kitchen closet he found was a dark and peaceful place, with an occasional rustle of a mouse or rat. It was a good place to think. He could only imagine…

He was standing on a winner's block, the U.S. Flag hanging over his head while the Nation Anthem played. Kairi would be at her home, watching her t.v., regretting not going out with him.

_I'm such an idiot. _Riku thought. _I could have any girl I wanted and_- Riku's thoughts were interrupted and cut short when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see a kid' face. The boy was about eight, he was dressed up, his tie was tight and his blonde hair slicked back.

"Why are you here? Did you bring me food?" The boy asked. Riku frowned. He'd have to share his hiding place, this cozy closet that he was using to pine over Kairi.

"Get your own. They'll see me."

"They'll see me too!" The boy exclaimed. The boy's face turned blank, then his eyes had uncertainty in them. Riku sighed.

"You and I are doing the same thing, huh? Hiding?" The young boy ignored his question and told him something else instead.

"I didn't eat breakfast or lunch. I'm really hungry." The boy said. Riku sighed and looked through the crack of the door. The waiters were serving dinner it seemed. Maybe he had some food in his pocket he could give the boy. Riku pulled out some unidentifiable food from his pocket (most likely stuff he'd dropped on the floor and picked up) and put it on the box. "Is that sushi?" The boy asked. Riku shrugged.

"I'm not sure. You got me." The boy frowned and picked at the food until he ate one and smiled.

"I like shrimp." Riku sighed. What a big problem it was to hide away.

"Don't you like weddings?" The boy only gave him a sideways glance. "Don't you have a name?" Riku cringed inwardly. That was a stupid question. Of course the boy had a name.

"Yes." After saying that, the boy went back to eating the miniscule amount of food Riku found in his pockets.

"My name is Riku. What's yours?" The boy ignored him again and continued to stuff the rest of the food into his mouth.

"I'd really like dinner. And desert." The boy added. The boy's stomach growled.

"There's too many people. I might be seen."

"Are you in trouble?" Riku sighed.

"Some kind." He said. "What about you? Are you in some kind of trouble?" the boy frowned at him.

"Not yet, I'm not." Now, it was Riku's turn to frown.

"You're going to have to get out sooner or later." The boy frowned again. "What's your problem?" The boy glared at him.

"I'd really like dinner. And desert." Riku got fed up with the repetitive boy.

"You'll take what you can get!" Riku semi yelled at the boy. The boy shrieked quietly and managed to spit out two words; "Okay grouchy." Riku sighed.

"I don't mind you, kid. Ready?" Riku saw there was no one in the kitchen now. "Raiders, set, go!"

"Where's Tidus?" Kairi asked. Halfway through dinner, she had noticed his absence.

"He's probably messing around somewhere." Axel said, shrugging. She was worried. He hadn't eaten all day and was threatening to run away. Axel was supposed to be the "great new big brother", but neither Kairi nor Tidus had bought it. Kairi pushed back her chair and hurried to the kitchen.

"Chow down! This is a feast!" Exclaimed Riku.

"It's pretty good." The boy said, stuffing his face with the food provided.

"Come on, let's chow down so we have energy to eat desert!" After ten minutes or so, the boy was still shoveling his food in.

"Who are you hiding from?" The boy asked, curiously.

"Monsieur Despereaux. I kept spilling things down people's pants." Riku explained his clumsiness to the boy. The boy giggled at this.

"Did you get Mr. Chefer?" Riku shrugged at him.

"Should I have aimed for him?" The boy giggled again.

"How'd you manage to go through most of the night?" The boy asked.

"I stuck to non-spillable things. I still managed to spill a lot, though."

"Tell him," He said in between chewing.

"Tell him what?" Riku asked.

"To stick it in his ear!" The boy exclaimed, mouthful and all. Riku, for some odd reason, picked up a celery stick and put it into his ear. "In your other ear, dippy-doo!" he stuck one in his other ear.

"Now where?" The boy grinned at him and grabbed some shredded salad.

"In your hair doo-be-doo!" Doing so, the boy released the salad from his hands into Riku's hair. Riku frowned. These greens were covered in vinegar salad dressing. "Now stick it in your nose, doo-be-doo!" Riku stuck two shrimp tails up his nostrils. "Now stick it in your teeth, dippy-doo!" Riku smiled and took two olives, effectively sticking them to his front teeth. "Stick it in-" The boy cut himself off, adjusting to a new lighting in the room.

"Stick it where, doo-be-doo?" The boy didn't answer so Riku turned to look at what the young boy was staring at. His eyes widened. Kairi was standing in the doorway.

**(A/N) Thanks for reading the second chapter! Sorry to anyone who was waiting, We've had a lot to do since school started. Please leave a review? **


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N) Thank you guys for reading! I'm sorry for not updating other stories, but we (My sister and I) have been extremely busy the past few months! Plus, I've been really stuck on my other running story (Ice Princess) and that's been stopping progress for this story! Well, I started typing this story again and… well, the plot flew from my fingers onto the pages! Anyway, before I start rambling on about something stupid, Happy New Years!

Kairi froze in her spot.

She was stunned by the sight of Riku, celery stuck in his ears, shreds of salad in his hair, something squishy and black adorning his teeth and harder to believe someone older than six would do this- shrimp tails up his nostrils. By the looks of it, Riku was just as surprised to see her as well.

"Am I in trouble?" Tidus asked solemnly, as if he was expecting it.

"I think I am." Riku said softly.

"You're supposed to be in the dining room, Tidus. You're supposed to be eating with us." Kairi told Tidus.

"We're eating in here. We are having a feast!" Kairi looked at the assortment of food spread out between them on a tray. One side of her mouth curled up at this sight.

"Please, Kairi, momma said we could bring any friends we wanted to the wedding."

"You said you didn't have any, Tidus. Remember telling mom you had no friends here?"

"I do now."

Kairi looked down upon Riku, who was carefully keeping his eyes down, to avoid looking into her eyes. He was concentrating on his celery, shrimp, and squashed black olives; lining them up on the box in front of him, disgusted.

"Mademoiselle!"

"It's Doo-be-doo!" Cried Tidus. "Close the door, Kairi! He'll see us! Please Kairi!"

Against Kairi's better judgment, she closed the door before he reached it. For some strange reason, her brother looked happier than he had in weeks. With her back to the rest of the small closet, Kairi peeked open the door and face the caterer.

"Something wrong, mademoiselle?"

"Absolutely not, sir."

"Are you tres certaine?"

"Tres." She replied, taking the monsieur's arm and walking him away from the door.

"Well, mademoiselle, you are wanted in the dining room." He crisply told her. "It is time for the toast. Everyone is waiting for you." Kairi hurried out of the kitchen. They were indeed waiting, and she couldn't avoid an entrance. Kairi blushed as she crossed the room. Axel pulled her toward his body, laughing at her. He then handed her a glass of champagne.

A friend of Reno's made the toast to the newly weds. The toast droned on and on.

"Hear, hear." All the guests cried out at last.

"Hear, hear, sister!" Axel said, and downed his glass of champagne. He stuck it out to be filled again. Kairi only took a small of hers. "Hear, hear, sister," he said again, but low and soft this time, his eyes burning with some strange light. He clinked his glass against hers and drank down its contents once again.

He then pulled the unsuspecting Kairi to him and kissed her roughly on her lips.

Kairi sat at her piano, staring at the same measures of music she had opened five minutes before, one hand resting lightly on her lips. She dropped her hand to the yellowed keys and ran her fingers over them, eliciting ripples of music, not quite in tune. Then she ran her tongue over her lips. They weren't really bruised; it was all in her mind.

Still, she was glad she had talked her mother into letting Tidus and her stay in their apartment until after the honeymoon. Six days alone with Axel in that huge house on the ridge was more than she could face, especially with Tidus acting up.

Tidus, who in their crowded twilight town apartment had rigged up old curtains around his bed because he wanted to away from "the girls," who'd been begging to have a sleepover for the past two weeks. The night before the wedding she had let him bring in his sleeping bag into her room. She woke to find him and her cat on top of her. After their long day at the wedding, she'd probably let him sleep in room again that night.

Tidus was on the floor behind her playing with his baseball cards, arranging dream teams on the rug. Kairi's cat as usual, wanted to stretch out all over the baseball diamond. The pitcher rode on her black belly, up and down. Every once and a while, a soft phrase would escape Tidus. "Fly ball deep to center field," he'd whisper, then move his famous Destiny Island player "Wakka- Something," do a home run trot around the bases. Kairi forgot his last name.

_I shouldn't let him stay up this late_, Kairi thought. But she herself couldn't sleep, and she was glad for his company. Besides, Tidus had eaten such a conglomeration of party food, and so many sweets on top of that-thanks to Riku- he'd probably throw up all over his sleeping bag. And clean sheets, like most everything else in their apartment, were packed.

"Kairi, I've decided," Tidus suddenly said. " That I'm not going to move."

"What?" Kairi lifted her legs and spun around the piano bench.

"Imma stay here. Do you and Nala want to stay with me?"

"What about mom?"

"She can be Axel's mother now," Tidus said. Kairi winced; the way she did each time her mother made a fuss over Axel. Aerith was warmhearted and affectionate- and trying hard, much too hard. She had no idea how ridiculous Axel found er.

"Mom will always be _our_ mother, and right now she needs us."

"Okay," Tidus agreeably said. "You and Nala go. I'm going to ask Riku to move in here with me."

"Riku!" Tidus nodded his eight-year-old head at her, then said softly to himself,

"Walked the batter. Tying run to the plate." Apparently he made up his mind and didn't figure that the matter needed to be discussed further. He played contentedly. It was the strangest thing, how he had begun to play again after his fun with Riku.

What had Riku said to Tidus that had helped him so? _Perhaps nothing_, Kairi thought. Perhaps instead of trying to explain her mother's marriage for the last three weeks, she should have just stuck some shrimp up her nose. "Tidus." Kairi sharply said.

The tying run had to come home before he was willing to talk to her again. "Huh?"

"Did Riku say anything to you about me?"

"About you?" He thought for a moment before answering. "No."

"Oh." _Not that I care_, she told herself.

"Do you know him?" Tidus asked.

"No. No, I just thought that maybe, after I found you in the storeroom, he'd say something about me." Tidus' eyebrows knitted.

"Oh, yeah. He asked me if you like to wear pink dresses like that, and if you really believe in angels. I told him about your collection of statues.

"What did you tell him about my dress?"

"Yes."

"Yes?" she exclaimed.

"You told Mommy you thought it was pretty." And her mother had believed her. Why shouldn't Tidus?

"Did Riku say he was working there tonight?"

"Yup."

The little card baseball game's inning was over. Tidus was setting up a new defense.

"Well, Why?" Kairi asked, exasperated.

"He has to make some money for a swim meet. He's a swimmer, Kairi. He goes to other states and swims. He needs to fly, I can't remember where."

Kairi nodded. Of course, Riku was hard up, earning his way. She should stop listening to Selphie.

Tidus stood up suddenly. "Kairi, don't make me go to that big house. Don't make me go. I don't want to eat dinner with him!" Kairi reached out for her brother.

"New things always seem scary," she reassured him. "But Reno has been nice to you, right from the start. Remember who bought you Wakka's rookie card?"

"I don't want to eat dinner with Axel." Kairi didn't know what to say to that. Tidus stood next to her, his fingers moving silently over the piano's old keys. When he'd been younger, he used to sing the tunes he was supposed to be playing when he did that.

"I need a hug." She said. "How about it?"

He gave her an unenthusiastic one.

"Lets' do our new duet, okay?"

He shrugged. He'd play along with her, but the happiness that she had glimpsed in him earlier had disappeared.

They had gotten five measures through when he slammed his hands down on the piano. He banged and banged and banged.

"I won't go! I won't go! I won't go!"

Tidus burst into tears, and Kairi pulled him into toward her, letting him sob in her arms. When he had settled into exhausted hiccups, she said, "You're tired, Tidus. You're just tired." But she knew it was more than that.

While he rested against her, she played for him his favorite songs, then softened the medley into lullabies. Soon he was almost asleep and much too big for her to carry to bed.

"Come on," she said, helping him up from the bench. Nala followed them into her room.

"Kairi."

"Hmmm?"

"Can I have one of your angels tonight?"

"Sure. Which one?"

"Gary."

Gary was a dark brown angel, carved out of wood, Kairi's fatherly angel. She stood Gary next to the sleeping bag and Wakka card. Then Tidus crawled into the bag, and she zipped him in.

"Do you want to send a prayer to the angels?" She asked him.

Together they said, "Angel of light, angel above, take care of me tonight. Take care of everyone I love."

"That's you, Kairi." Tidus added, and closed his eyes.

**Fin. We were happy to get this out to you guys! How was everyone's Christmas and New years? _ We enjoyed ours very much so! And we also figured out that our grandparents could tell the difference between us! :D hahaha, please review! **


	4. Author's note

A/N Hey guys. I'm sorry for not updating. Things have popped up and well… Let's say I cannot write anymore. I got into a really bad fight with my sister and my life has been going downhill. Let's say that this story is going up for adoption if anybody wants to continue it.

P.s. Zekushion, I have. In the beginning of the first chapter there is a disclaimer of both stories. Thank you for asking.


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